WALTHAM – There are two ways to look at the pair of moves that the Celtics made over the past week.

By drafting Marcus Smart with the No. 6 pick and re-signing restricted free agent Avery Bradley, the Celtics are either (a.) building backcourt depth or (b.) preparing for life without Rajon Rondo.

Which direction the Celtics are headed in is going to make for some interesting times ahead.

Smart was selected as a lottery pick a week ago tonight while Bradley was brought back with a four-year contract worth $32 million, a deal that will be made official next week.

Where do those two transactions leave the 28-year-old Rondo, who will become a free agent one year from now?

On the night when Smart was drafted, owner Wyc Grousbeck, coach Brad Stevens and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge all made it clear the move would not have any impact on Rondo’s status with the Celtics.

They spoke of how Rondo and Smart would be working together in the same backcourt and how the development of Smart would be helped by Rondo’s presence.

But will that be the case? Or will the Celtics be cutting ties with the last player from the 2007-08 championship team and turn things over to Smart alongside Bradley?

Had the Celtics found a way to get Kevin Love to Boston, then the constant rumors about Rondo would be put to rest.

The Celtics would have two All-Star players in Love and Rondo to build around, and it would be up to Ainge to fill in the rest of the pieces to make it all work.

Unable to acquire Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves before the draft, the Celtics will still try to put a deal together, but it doesn’t seem likely that will be happening.

So if the Celtics are going to be spending the next few seasons rebuilding through the draft and hoping that players like Smart and No. 17 pick James Young can develop quickly, Rondo might not be around for the long term.

He is scheduled to make $13 million this season and the price tag will go up from there once he hits free agency.

No matter what was said on draft night, having Smart in the fold serves as an insurance policy should Rondo exit in the next 12 months.

Bradley will be staying after agreeing to a new deal worth $8 million annually, putting him behind Rondo, Gerald Wallace and Jeff Green on the Celtics’ payroll.

Terms were agreed to just a couple of days into free agency and Bradley didn’t want to leave the Celtics.

The team has overpaid a bit for Bradley, who is coming off his best season but has had trouble staying away from injuries since being drafted in 2010.

Page 2 of 2 - Bradley is known as one of the better defenders in the NBA at the guard spot and he showed improvement on offense last season, extending his range to become an effective weapon.

“Avery (is) a great defender,’’ said teammate Jared Sullinger. “He makes a lot of things easier for us defensively. Guarding screens, sometimes you didn’t have to guard them. Avery kind of pushed himself through screens. He made life easier.’’

The new contract keeps Bradley around through the 2017-18 season, but who knows where Rondo will be by that point.

There has been speculation in the NBA rumor mill that the Celtics are after Isaiah Thomas of the Sacramento Kings, a restricted free agent, and the Kings have always had interest in Rondo.

It seems difficult to picture Rondo playing in a market like Sacramento, so the Kings would be gambling if such a swap was ever made.

The wild and crazy trade rumors about Rondo are an annual event and nothing is going to be different this summer.

Will the Celtics be keeping him as part of a deep backcourt or will be finally be on the move?

Jim Fenton may be reached at jfenton@enterprisenews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFenton_ent.